


Siren Song

by Jaamesbbarnes



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: CEO Bucky Barnes, F/M, Mutual Pining, Online Dating, Qui pro quo, mention of car accident, mention of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 19:35:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16898649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaamesbbarnes/pseuds/Jaamesbbarnes
Summary: Tired to wait for the man you had had a crush on for years to see you as more than his secretary, you sign up for a matching app that showcases talent. Without seeing your face, WhiteWolf17 finds himself falling lured by your voice. But getting your boss out of your system is more easily said than done.





	1. Chapter 1

You groaned in frustration and hit the coffee machine with the palm of your hand, making everybody in the break room jump in surprise. Finally, the melodic sound of coffee beans being ground filled the very silent room and you sighed in relief. Fucking Monday morning, you thought to yourself. You placed your cup, ready to receive the nectar of the gods and the faintest smile crept up your lips when the delicious smell of freshly brewed coffee tickled your nostrils, now you were ready to function.

You wished everybody a good morning on the way out of the room, walking briskly to your desk. The carpeted floor swallowed the clinking of your your heels as you mentally listed your daily to-do list. Check the emails, reschedule Mr. Stark’s appointment to Friday morning, order Mr Barnes’ lunch, set the monthly meeting with Miss Romanov, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Rogers… God you still couldn’t get used to call him Steve around here despite you spending most of your little free time at his place. 

You started regretting not adding another espresso shot in your mug. Gosh, you hated Monday mornings to your core. You were still tired from the previous week and your bestfriend Peggy had dragged you into all the pastry shops of the city to finally find her perfect wedding cake. So now, in addition to being tired, you felt disgusting from the amount of sugar you had ingested in the past two days (you could already feel your skin starting to break out). And your stress level was also up to the roof from all the wedding and secret bachelorette party planning.

It wasn’t a secret that you had a natural ease to plan scheduled, you basically did it for a living, but right now you felt like your entire life resulted around planning other people’s lives, completely leaving your own on the side to do so. Well, it wasn’t as if you had such an interesting life outside of work anyway, but still.

You placed your mug on your neat (for now) desk, quickly scanning the many memos left near your keyboard as you simultaneously turned on your computer and disabled the automatic voicemail. You opened the email app of the computer and noticed that Mr. Stark’s assistant had sent you not one or two but five emails in the course of the weekend, reminding you not to cancel today’s meeting because he would leave for Wakanda tomorrow until the end of the month. Fucking perfect.

Letting out a sigh, you opened the planner, already trying to figure out how you would manage to squeeze in the meeting in the already full day Mr. Barnes was going to have. He had planned to meet with the Disabled Veteran Charity Organization to increase Barnes&Co contribution this year. Maybe Mr. Stark could come as well since his company was the one in charge of engineering the the prosthetic limbs your boss commercialized? You would have to talk to him about it. 

Actually, Mr. Barnes, or Bucky as he always insisted you call him, was the first person to ever test the prosthetic limbs Mr. Stark’s father had created over twenty years ago and that was collecting dust in the back of his lab. Barnes and Stark fathers being lifelong friends, Howard Stark had asked his son to find the plans he had worked on and to add his knowledge on new technologies to upgrade it after Mr. Barnes accident a little over five years ago now.

You were already working for Georges Barnes when his son, drunk, as he often was, after a college party, had had a car accident. You could still remember Mrs. Barnes distressed voice over the phone when she called the office. Her husband was hosting a meeting and his cellphone was left on silent mode so you had been the one trying to calm down Mrs. Barnes the best you could before interrupting the meeting. “Mr. Barnes, it’s your son,” you had whispered in his ear.

As sad at it could sound, you were not really surprised to hear about the accident. James Barnes was known to be one of these little rich kids who took everything his parents gave him for granted and partied at any time of the day or night. You couldn’t remember how many times he had came to the office to ask his father for a little extra allowance.

You could still see him walking in, oozing confidence, a different girl clinging onto his arm or neck each time. Yet, James, as you called him back then, already refusing to call him Bucky, never forgot to greet you. Shooting you his million dollar smile that would make your stomach flip, you could almost see his demeanor changing, or at least you hoped. Allowing you to believe that he showed genuine interest in how you were in addition to aknowledging your existence. You never felt inferior to him. Like his father or the rest of his family, James treated you as his equal.

“Good morning, Y/N, did you have a good weekend?” his phone in hand, Mr. Barnes, or Bucky, smiled your way before walking to his office, leaving the door open, as usual. It took you a couple seconds too long to scramble to your feet, taking your notebook with you to follow him.

The room was bathing in bright morning light thanks to the large bay windows that took an entire wall and offered the most beautiful sight of the beach. The sea was calm today, probably still recovering from the weekend as well, you smiled to yourself. With his light blue suit that made his eyes pop out and his long locks gathered in a low bun at the back of his head, Mr. Barnes looked like he was straight out of a Hugo Boss campaign standing in the middle of the light colored furniture of his office. The oceanic view you often surprised him getting lost into through the large windows that separated your office from his only added to the commercial vibe radiating off the room.

“Mister Barnes, good morning!”

“Bucky, not Mr. Barnes,” he sighed, tired of having the same argument with you every single day. Yet you noticed his smile never faltered off his lips as he took his eyes off the little device he was holding to glance at you. It was a routine by now.

“I had a great weekend, thank you. What about you, Mister Barnes?” You chimed.

Mr. Barnes chuckled at your antics and sat down to turn on his computer with his free hand, “it was alright, I guess, clearly not long enough.”

You nodded knowingly, only noticing now just how exhausted he looked and you didn’t have to wrack your brain too long to know he had probably spent the last two days working like he often did since his father past away three years ago. You were still grateful he had decided to keep you as his secretary as well when he took his father’s place.

Quite honestly, you could not recognize him anymore. The spoiled kid had completely shifted since the accident and became the man you knew. You had heard about his depression and how hard he had struggled the first year, the shock of the accident, getting used to the loss of a limb, adapting to a new, robotic prosthetic arm. But he then slowly started coming here more and more often, observing his father and little James became Mr. Barnes, CEO of Barnes&Co before you could even notice it.

“Mr. Stark is leaving for Wakanda tomorrow until the end of the month and insisted on not cancelling the meeting. I thought that maybe he could come for your meeting with the Disabled Veterans Charity? Maybe it could make him want to show his philanthropist side?”

The lopsided smile your boss gave you made your own lips twitch up and pride starting to bubble in your chest. You were right, Tony would never accept that someone else gave more money than him if he was in the same room and this can be extremely beneficial to the cause. “Y/N, you’re a genius,” Bucky chuckled tiredly yet you noticed his eyes sparkling with mischief and you swore you felt your heart fluttering in your chest in answer.

You giggled nervously, hating yourself for reacting like such a schoolgirl to Mr. Barnes praises but you couldn’t help it. You had had the biggest crush on him since you started working for his father. You stuttered a thank you but already his phone started to buzz on his desk. The way his face lit up at the notification you couldn’t recognize indicated you it was probably a girl and the cloud you had started to walk on vanished from under your feet and you felt like your just fell face flat against the light wooden floor.

As far as you knew, Bucky had stopped sleeping his way around the city since the accident. But you also knew his oldest friend, who also happened to be his first girlfriend, was still a permanent fixture in his life since she actually worked here as well. Natasha Romanov, Head of the Marketing Department. Charming, ruthless, determined, confident she could sell anything to anyone and people would actually thank her. She was everything you were not and lowkey wishing you were. And, considering how close they still were, you were pretty sure they still shared a bed here and there.

You tried to take a deep breath to contain your embarrassment for having thought for a second that Mr. Barnes would actually be impressed by you and put on your most professional smile. “I’ll confirm the meeting with Mr. Stark’s appointment and get you your coffee. the emails have already been sorted and your lunch is ordered, I’ll bring it to you at noon.”

Bucky quickly glanced up from his phone again, “thank you, Y/N, you’re perfect, as always,” he hummed. You nodded and cleared your throat before walking out of the office, your heels echoing on the wooden floor until you walked on the carpeted floor the second you passed the door. You let it open as he liked it and walked to the break room, grabbing your phone from your desk on the way as you typed a text to Peggy.

“What was that dating app you told me about again?”


	2. Chapter 2

“Hum, Peggy, are you really sure about this?” you asked, glaring disapprovingly at the profile she had helped you create. Slouched on your friend’s couch, you kept picking in the popcorn bowl as she pretended it did not exist. You admired her will to fit in her dress, you knew you were never able to resist food.

“Certain, darling. Now pic a picture, so the profile is almost ready.” You sighed and wiped your hand clean on your skirt before taking your phone and scrolled through your pics. As you looked at the selfies in your gallery, you eyes landed on a picture you took the other day during your lunch break: a wave crashing at your ankles as a purple seashell laid on the side. You had found it so unique that, after taking the pic, you had cleaned it and placed it on your desk. It laid near your computer screen even though you could never see it during the day as I was hidden by piles of paper.

As long as you could remember, you had always been absolutely fascinated by the sea. Your mom used to tell you that you must had been a mermaid or a fish in a former life because it was literally impossible to get you out of the tub or the sea once you had dipped a toe in it. And you knew it was one of the main reasons you never considered changing job, you just had to open the bay widow of your office to have your feet in the sand. It allowed you to breathe during your breaks or when the pressure was too high even though you couldn’t recall Mr. Barnes ever pressuring you.

A tiny smile crept up your lips at the thought of your boss. The success of the meeting with the Disabled Veterans Charity representant had been a huge success. as planned, Tony Stark’s legendary competitivity had lead him to donate twice as much as Mr. Barnes already very generous donation. Your boss had been beaming with joy all afternoon long and never failed to thank you and congratulate you each time you entered the office. You tried every time not to let the praises get to your head too fast but it was difficult when he was smiling to you as wide as he was.

Mr. Barnes’s attachment to this specific charity surprised you at first. But when you saw some of the former soldier walking in the headquarters, missing a leg or a hand, it didn’t take you long to plus two and two together. that day was the first time Mr. Barnes had closed the door of his office since you started working for him. But the lack of sound did not kept you from seeing how his eyes sparkled with interest and hope. Hope to help people in the same way he had received help.

“Earth to Y/N. I know you look drop dead gorgeous on that selfie but it’s starting to be awkward, darling.”

Peggy’s voice snapped you out of your transe and you snorted, trying to hide your embarrassment as you selected the wave and purple seashell picture. Peggy sighed your name.

“I’m not putting my face out there, Peggy! What if there are people I know?”

“So what? It’s the point, isn’t it? Get to know them better!”

“It’s embarrassing!” you hissed.

“What’s embarrassing? Looking for love? Or keep hoping you-know-who starts finally noticing you’re not just a coffee bringer!”

Your eyes went wide at your friends words and, ignoring the jab that made your heart clench in your chest, you took one of the cushion and smacked her head with it. “Louder would you? I don’t think Steve heard you upstair!” you whisper-yelled, feeling your eyes ready to pop out of your skull.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” she snorted, waving a dismissing hand at you.

You knew Peggy held nothing against Bucky, he was her fiancé’s best friend and she knew him enough to realize he was a decent guy. But she also knew he had a heavy past, worked overtime and sometimes forgot to prioritize basic human functions. He was not what you needed.

“Why don’t you put that picture Steve took of you at your birthday party? You look magnificent on it!”

It was your turn to snort. “I’m not putting that picture on a dating app. It’s not me, it’s party me and you know I never party.”

Peggy rolled her eyes, she didn’t have to talk for you to understand what she was thinking. But luckily for you, she was clever enough not to insist too much on the picture, she had another battle to fight. Without a word, she took your phone again and scrolled through your camera roll.

“I’m no posting another picture, Peggy,” you warned her, recognizing the glint of determination in her eyes.

“Oh I know, darling,” she chuckles, “I’m not looking for a picture but that video of you singing.”

Your eyes went wide, “wait, WHAT?” you choked.

Peggy’s lips curled up into a mischievous smirk and, knowing you by heart already, she extended her arm up for you to launch at nothing, miserably failing to retrieve your phone. “Peggy, no!”

“Peggy, yes!”

“Peg-”

The brunette pushed you away from her as if you were not lying over her lap a couple seconds before. You ungracefully fell on the floor and glared at your friend, already imagining ten different ways to make her body disappear while she still scrolled away. “Don’t worry, we won’t see your face, just hear your wonderful voice.” She said before she “aha’d” in victory.

You jumped on your feet, following Peggy who was already walking away from you to finish converting the video into an audio format.

“Why would you do that?” The despair in your voice made Peggy stop dead in her tracks and turn around to look at you.

“Y/N,” she sighed, “Darling, I told, this app focuses on talent and your voice is really one hell of a talent. I promise nobody will recognize you but give it a try, for me. One week, it’s all I ask you. Try one week and if you don’t like it, you’ll delete it all and I won’t mention it again!”

You looked at her, pondering for a minute if the wedding planning had finally drove her completely insane of if she just wanted you to ridicule yourself in front of everybody. Singing was not something you did in public. Yes, you had sometimes had a little too much fun during karaoke nights, but that was it. Your main audience was your shower curtain.

“Look, love,” she said more calmly, placing her free hand on your upper arm, “you can’t keep chasing after a fantasy. As much as I appreciate Bucky, he’s all over the place and barely ever out of work. You need someone who’ll appreciate you and take care of you too, not a one-sided thing.”

You heart clenched in you chest again. Peggy was right, you knew it and it pained you to admit it but each word she was speaking was true. As much as Mr. Barnes appreciated and respected you, he only saw you as an employee and it hurt but he treated all the employees as good as you. The defeated look on your face must have been pretty obvious because less than a second later, you felt Peggy’s arm around your shoulders and your phone appeared right on front of your eyes. “You deserve better, Y/N. Come on, one week.”

You sighed heavily, trying to swallow back the growing lump in your throat as you took the little device in your hand. Your thumb seemed to weight a hundred pounds when you press the “send” box. The little checkmark and winky emoji mocked you for a second and thankfully enough, they rapidly were replaced by a sea of names, pictures, match pourcentages.

One minute later you saw figures appearing in red on the small envelope at the top right corner of the screen. You chuckled in disbelief at Peggy’s excited squeal. “Look at that, you’re a total catch, darling!” She exclaimed, tightening her hold around you as she clicked on the first messages, cringing at the tacky approach messages.

At the other end of the city, Bucky had just slouched on his couch, a beer in hand. Droplets of water fell down his bare shoulders and soaked the beige suede couch. A heavy sigh coming from deep down his lungs and heart fell how his lips as he suppressed a yawn. He was fighting hard not to fall asleep right now. It was barely ten at night and he got home twenty minutes before, took a shower, grabbed a bite and now there he was.

Bucky was exhausted. As usual, he left the office way after everybody. Today had been successful, hectic, draining. It was his life, spending too much time at the office, going home and falling asleep before being able to enjoy some free time. Leisure was something he had forgotten about a long time ago. All Bucky did now was work and try to fulfil basic human needs not to die but even that he sometimes forgot about. Bucky wouldn’t even think about eating if it wasn’t for his mom having food sent to his place several times a week, preferably meals he only had to put in the microwave before passing out, or you never setting meetings during lunchtime and even threatening to cut his WiFi access if he did not eat.

His lips curved into a little, tired smile when he thought about how many times you had stood in front of his desk, your fists on your hips and stared at him until he ate the sandwich you had placed next to him fifteen minutes before without him even noticing it. It had all started couple weeks after his father passing and him becoming the head of the company. He had dived into work so much sometimes he didn’t know if it was night or day, even slept on his office couch several times.

Until one day, you noticed. Maybe it had to do with him wearing the same suit three days in a row, or maybe he just stinked, he didn’t know. But he could remember you coming into his office and clearing your throat until he looked up from the screen, his eyes red and burning. “I cleared out your afternoon and moved your 8 A.M. meeting tomorrow to 10 A.M.” He must have stared at you blankly, trying to make sense of what you had just told him because you open your mouth again.

“With all due respect, killing yourself at work won’t make the company successful. It’ll probably make people talk about it in the press but it won’t be good for the turnover.” Bucky’s breathing hitched at your insolence hidden so well behind your sweet tone. He scoffed and you talked again before he could do it. “I’m grateful you asked me to keep my position in the company because I really appreciated and respected your father and your mother has been nothing but sweet to me. But she already lost her husband, I think she needs you well, Mr. Barnes. Please take the afternoon off. Rest, eat… shower, the company will still be here tomorrow, I promise.”

He blinked a few times and you nodded respectfully at him, happy that he couldn’t see your shaking hands behind your back. As you were about to walk out the door, his voice reached your ears.

“It’s Bucky,” the half smile you had sent him over your shoulder matched his tired one.

Bucky’s phone buzzing made the memory crawl back to the back of his head, where he kept it locked 99% of the time with all the others before he reached for the device. If the too familiar app logo made his smile widen, it was quickly replaced by a confused frown.

“This new profile matches yours! Come and say hi ;)”


	3. Chapter 3

Over a year. It had been over a year since Bucky signed up for this app that held the promise to find someone to match your soul. Until a few hours ago, he had been dumb enough to think he would actually find someone. Over 365 days, 177 potential matches and a couple of heartaches later, Bucky was this close to erase his profile forever.

He knew putting on his picture and giving away his name was risky and, honestly, a few years ago he wouldn’t have minded that these girls were just after his money or his smile. But that wasn’t him anymore. Bucky wasn’t the confident guy he used to be, how could he be? In three years of time he had almost died, well technically was declared dead for five minutes, he had also lost an arm, little price to pay for the huge mistake he had done, and he lost his dad who, no matter what, had never stopped believing in him. And now he was at the head of the family heritage, the prince had became King of the Barnes empire.

But a King without a Queen. Which was why Bucky had thought this app would be a good idea. And it was fun for a while. Because he couldn’t deny it, it was nice to see he could still get the girls attention like he used to. But after a few days of chatting, sometimes only a few hours, the questions about the kind of cars he drove or if there was a jacuzzi in his house tended to get on his nerves. But the last girl he had been talking too was probably the worst.

Every time it was the same drill: a few weeks of exhilaration, thrill every time his phone lit up, confessions and borderline sexting when conversations lasted until the early morning hours. Until a few hours ago he thought he could have eventually cleared his schedule on Friday night and finally take his last fling out, Dot her name was. But that was until he realized that, like all the other ones, she only was after his money.

They had been texting non-stop for a days and Dot had never hidden her physical attraction to him. She was flirty and pretty good at keeping Bucky on his toes, making a jolt of excitement popping up his spine and a goofy grin creeping up his lips every time his phone buzzed. Between the successful meeting and the teasing, Bucky felt like he was on top of the world and, for the first time in forever he wanted to take it to the next level.

After you wished him goodnight, Bucky had gathered the courage to text Dot and ask her if she would like to meet up someday. It surprisingly didn’t take more than a minute for Dot to answer and he could still feel his eyes bulging out of his skull and his blood turning cold when he read her text, “What’s in for me, daddy? ;)” The scoff that shook his body was quickly followed by the sound of his phone being dropped a little too harshly on his desk. He wasn’t into that shit anymore. He was not that guy anymore.

After taking a minute to breathe, he politely told her he was not what she was looking for and immediately when to the settings of his profile. His thumb ghosted over the “Delete” button wondering what’s the point continuing this joke? What was the point since all he got were gold diggers. He knew he wasn’t who he used to be before the accident, for the better or worse sometimes he wondered, but that part of him died that day. And as ridiculous as it sounded, he was craving something more than physical attraction, he wanted a soul connection.

Oh, how Bucky craved someone who understood him, someone patient and caring but who could also tell him to cut the crap when needed. The brunet shook his head when his gaze fell on your empty desk and the outline of your features started to appear before his eyes and sighed deeply. Get over it already, dude. He had to stop that right now and he knew it so, in a last surge of hope, Bucky scrolled back up and clicked on the “edit profile” button.

His selfie was replaced by the last sketch he had drawn a few weeks back on his jet while travelling to the other side of the country for a seminar, a wolf staring straight back at him, one side of the face white and the other side hidden in the shadow. It was a bit muddled, drew with a simple black ballpoint pen while he was on the phone, like the majority of his sketches for the past years. But Bucky was quite proud of the outcome, it somehow reminded him of himself. Who he was today and who he used to be.

Bucky had lost and won everything at once, nothing in his life was like it used to be before the accident. His mom was too proud to admit her depression and it resulted in her overfeeding him and his sister and throwing herself into her charities, his sister had left the state to travel the world, seeking for any purpose she could encounter. The people he used to considered as his friends had turned their backs to him because he wasn’t as fun anymore. But this was the least of his problems because he still had Steve and Nat by his sides.

When his father past and Bucky had to take care of his legacy, it only appeared evident to him that he would ask them to join his team. If Steve had immediately accepted, Nat had remained true to herself and played hard to get. Her position in her former job was very comfortable and she forced Bucky to spread his tail like a peacock trying to seduce his potential mate, inviting her lunch after lunch, reminiscing about old times. The breakup has been respectful and mutual and it somehow never hurt to talk about these days, on the contrary. It was warm and comforting, like and embrace.

When after three weeks and too much lobster and foie gras, Bucky had finally managed to make Nat sign her contract, a voracious smirk crept up her lips. Bucky had squinted warily at her. “You always intended to say yes, didn’t you?” his own lips dancing on the edge of a smile.

The redhead had only shrugged and winked at him, “always a pleasure to do business with you, Barnes. Now I’d like my Jaguar cherry red.” Fuck she was good.

Steve on the other end had always been a constant fixture in Bucky’s life. Heck, he was there to carry his father’s coffin through the church with him. At this point Steve was a Barnes in disguise. Schools, summer camps, college, the accident, Steve and Bucky had been through it all together which is why it only made sense that the blond was asked to he head of the Human Resources department. Nat was a shark and perfect for marketing, but Steve was perfect for human relations and keep Barnes&Co from becoming one of these cold companies that don’t care about their employees.

The company worked more than okay and Bucky was really proud to be able to say he was honoring his father’s memory. But he had buried himself into his work and he had to admit that he felt terribly lonely. Work and his friends could not fill the void in his life. Naively enough, he had thought that signing up for such a selective app that could connect people through talents of any kind would make it easier for him. But it didn’t take him much time to realize that everybody lied on the internet.

He was tired of lies, of people stealing other people’s art and pretending it was their own, he was tired of girls pretending they were interested in him when they were just after his wallet. Bucky was tired and growing more and more hopeless. Without his picture or his name, he started to wonder if he would even catch anyone’s attention. But this would be a test, right? One last chance, if nothing good came out of it, he would delete his profile for good.

So when, later that night, the app notified him for a new match, Bucky’s palms started to sweat in anticipation. Matches were all about datas and figures, nothing guaranteed him that this WannabeMermaid and him would click. However, he had to press his lips together to keep himself from smiling at the pseudonym and fear was nothing compared to the hope slowly growing in his system. With the pressure of one digit, he unlocked his phone to open the app and discover the profile.

The first thing that caught his eyes was the picture. It was not a professional photoshoot or a weird angled selfie, it was a real picture caught in the moment and that seashell and the sea matched her pseudonym to perfection. Fighting the smile was becoming more and more difficult as he read through her interests and what she would be usually doing on a typical Friday night: “trying to pretend I’m not tired as I listen to my best friend’s anecdotes. I’m just resting my eyes, I swear!”

The soft chuckle that rumbled through his chest surprised him but the bubbling feeling was too strong to fight. Bucky’s eyes lit up with interest when he saw you had posted an audio file to accompany your “talent section”. Without thinking much, he pressed play before swallowing the last sips of his beer. After a few seconds of the characteristic fumbling noises of an amateur record, she started singing. Bucky’s eyes went wide in surprise and he nearly choked at the melodious sound, trying to ignore the goosebumps arising on his skin.

Do you want to go to the seaside?

I’m not trying to say that everybody wants to go

I fell in love at the seaside

I handled my charm with time and slight of hand

But I’m just trying to love you

In any kind of way

But I find it hard to love you

When you’re far away

Away

Do you want to go to the seaside?

I’m not trying to say that everybody wants to go

But I fell in love on the seaside

On the seaside

In the seaside

Bucky stared at his phone, a dazed smile on his lips and his heart hammering in his chest. The screen had gone dark a few minutes ago but it was as if the soft voice still echoed in the large room, bouncing on the walls, dancing in the air, brushing his skin. He could feel every single nerve of his body tingling and a shiver of delight rippling up and down his spine. He even had pins and needles in his thumbs when they hastily danced on the screen and to send a message.

He stared at the keyboard for a second, his blood pounding in his ears and his teeth digging painfully hard in his bottom lip. He would only have one shot to make you want to answer to him and he had to be careful about his choice of words. A cocky smile tugged at his lips when an idea struck him and he started to type. “You’re probably a real mermaid because that voice is sure luring me in.”

His digit ghosted over the “send” button for a few seconds, wondering if this wouldn’t make he look like he was coming a little too strongly at you before he deleted the message. He let the phone fall on his lap before holding his beer between his thighs and, letting his head fall back against the couch, he let out a frustrated groan. He did not want to fuck his last chance up.

Because this voice, this profile… Bucky could feel this urge to talk her rising from deep within him. Because she was genuine and she was real. In about one minute, she managed to touch him and, just to the sound of her voice, it felt like he knew her already. so he took a deep breathe to gather the little hope and courage he had left and typed something less tacky but not less true. And never in his life Bucky had felt more nervous about such an innocent message. 

“WhiteWolf17: I know you must probably hear that all the time but I think you have the most beautiful voice I ever heard in my entire life.”


	4. Chapter 4

You tried to keep your lips from curling up as your phone buzzed away on your desk but knowing who was the cause of this earthquake made it nearly impossible. Placed near your screen, right next to your purple seashell, your screen kept lighting up, inviting you to pause your work to give your attention to someone else. Sighing dramatically, you resigned yourself and pushed the many papers aside to retrieve your phone. Your brows shot up in surprise when when you noticed you had received eight messages in the past fifteen minutes.

WhiteWolf17: Ariel?

WhiteWolf17: What did the Pacific Ocean say to the Atlantic Ocean?

WhiteWolf17: …

WhiteWolf17: Nothing, it just waved

WhiteWolf17: Get it?

WhiteWolf17: HAHA it just waved

WhiteWolf17: Come on, please appreciate my lame humor

WhiteWolf17: Arieeeeel, answer me!

You felt your throat tightening as you desperately tried to suppressed the laughter that tickled the tip of your tongue. Glancing at Mr. Barnes who seemed to be deeply focused on his laptop, hand covering his mouth as he looked at his screen, you allowed yourself to giggle slightly. You could feel the heat rising to your face and wanted to smack yourself upside down to your childish behavior but for the past couple weeks, this was your everyday life.

WannabeMermaid: Eric, I’m working! Quit being annoying! Don’t you have a kingdom to rule or something?

You glanced at Mr. Barnes, making sure he did not catch you being unprofessional and texting at work but he was now focused on his own phone. You looked at him so briefly you did not notice the grin slowing spreading onto his lips. You cleared your throat and placed your phone down, decided to finally get some work done but your hands were barely hovering above your keyboard that your phone buzzed again.

WhiteWolf17: She liiiiives!

You rolled your eyes at your phone, your teeth digging in your bottom lip to keep a somewhat professional façade but it was lost cause. That internet stranger that had sneaked into your message one night had somehow made himself his little spot in your life and you enjoyed it more that would ever be willing to admit.

WannabeMermaid: Do I need to call your boss? Or worse… your mom?

WhiteWolf17: *gaps* you wouldn’t!

WannabeMermaid: Watch me!

“Who’s WhiteWolf17?”

The gasp that ran past your lips was followed by your phone flying up in the air before landing, screen first, flat on the carpeted floor. The thud was covered by the sound your pounding heart in your chest as your swiveled on your chair. “Peter, what the fuck?” you hissed, “May never told you it was rude to read over people’s shoulder?”

The poor boy was pale, not having expected you to react that way. “I…I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to…” he stuttered, immediately retrieving your phone from the floor and inspecting for any impact. Thankfully the screen was clear and he sighed in relief.

Peter extended both his hands on your direction, one holding your phone and the other, a container that seemed to be full of cookies. Your eyes sparkled with interest when you recognized your favorite treats and your features immediately softened. “For me?” you asked, taking the items Peter was presenting you.

“Yes!” he nodded, letting his arms fall against his sides, “it’s my internship last day today and Aunt May wanted to thank you for helping me getting a spot here.”

You smiled and let yourself fall back against your chair, “well, that is very sweet of you, Peter. You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you or your Aunt. Now please make sure you tell her thank you for the cookies… and for telling Larry upstairs to quit the Banjo, he was driving me crazy,” you chuckled heartily.

Peter laughed along with you, “I thanked her many times for that already but I’ll make sure not to forget.”

“Good,” you hugged the cookies container, already excited for your morning coffee break. “Now shoo before Miss Romanoff catches you here.”

Peter’s smile immediately dropped and he gulped before turning his back. “Oh, and Peter, if you tell anyone about that,” you pointed at your phone, “I’ll tell Aunt May about that little tarantula pet you keep on your balcony.”

The little smile that accompanied your threat was enough to make Peter go even more pale and he eagerly nodded, “of… of course, Y/N.” he stuttered before nearly running away towards the marketing wing.

You chuckled at how impressionable this sweet boy could be as you opened the container and took a cookie. Taking a bite of the treat, you glanced at Mr. Barnes who seemed to look very intensely to his phone and sighed to yourself when you realized he was probably chatting with that girl from the other day. But your phone lighting up with missed notifications caught your attention and the worry was rapidly forgotten when you saw who was already missing you.

It was almost ridiculous how easily you and Eric, or WhiteWolf17 had fallen into this comfortable routine. There wasn’t a day when you didn’t talk to each other. Some days, he was more quiet but it didn’t bother you that much because it usually coincided with your busy days at work. Today was more calm, though and, as if he knew, he was more present.

You didn’t know anything from each other, which drove Peggy crazy because she couldn’t drive a proper investigation to know if this guy was worthy of you, but you didn’t mind because, somehow, you knew everything there was to know. You knew that he wished he had more time to draw, how important his job was but also that he wanted to find new priorities in life. He was two years older than you, that apparently he also had a desk job, you had a lot of common pop culture reference which made your conversations easy going and hilarious. It was simply comfortable and nice to have someone so nice with whom you could chat about everything without revealing to much.

You still remembered the first message he had sent you. It took you a moment to stumble upon it in the sea of all the tacky approaches you received in the first half hours after you submitted your profile. There were so many of them you almost closed the app before even seeing his message. But, fortunately, you did stumbled upon it. Right before going to bed, you saw the black and white wolf. There was such sincerity and kindness in his words, you couldn’t help but click on his profile to learn more about him. There wasn’t much details, but there was a lot of drawings and the guy’s list of interests was pretty well detailed so you had answered.

And there you were, a couple weeks later, being more unprofessional that you ever been in your entire life. But you had to admit, Eric, as he proclaimed himself after you had said he could call you Ariel since you did not really want to reveal your real name to someone on the internet, he was more entertaining that your dozen of emails and Mr. Barnes’ coffee to bring.

“Shit!” you hissed, realizing you hadn’t brought him his coffee yet. Not that he ever really asked for you to bring it to him but he never said no to a cup. Swiftly, you stood up and walked towards the breakroom, typing away on your phone. Good thing was that people would believe you were writing an email or something, and not flirt with some random prince charming.

WhiteWolf17: Now I’m starting to wonder if you abandoned me for good?

WannabeMermaid: Sorry, I was selling my soul to the Sea Witch.

WhiteWolf17: Oh yeah? To charm your boss? You know that guy’s a dumbass for not realizing what’s right in front of him, right?

You sighed and quickly pressed the coffee maker button after having placed the cup underneath. Why you had told to Eric about your crush on Mr. Barnes was a mystery. Or not so much. It came along the “why I stopped believing in love” conversation you had a few days ago. He apparently had only stumbled upon girls with whom he didn’t share much and you were clinging onto this stupid crush. You had nothing to lose anyway, right? It wasn’t like you knew him, he couldn’t repeat your secret.

WannabeMermaid: Maybe, are you jealous?

WhiteWolf17: Does a one-legged duck swim in circles?

You snorted a laugh before covering it by a fit of cough. Fuck it was so freeing to be 100% honest with someone. Even if that thing you seemed to have with him didn’t lead anywhere romantically speaking, Eric seemed to understand you on a level you wouldn’t have believed possible from someone other than Peggy. And the obvious flirty was also very good for your ego.

WannabeMermaid: Well, if I remember correctly, the Little Mermaid decided to lose her voice only for Eric and you are Eric, aren’t you?

The coffee was ready and you place the cup on a mini tray, wishing for Eric to answer you fast so you would be able to answer before going back to work. And he must have heard your thoughts because a couple seconds later, your phone buzzed again.

WhiteWolf17: I am only Eric for you and I’ll fight any Sea Witch and cranky fork-bearer God with my bare hands for you to keep your voice if I have to.

You chuckled softly at his answer, relishing in the warmth spreading from your heart to your entire system. Why real people couldn’t be like him? Or at least one person.

WannabeMermaid: That is extremely romantic and brave, you totally won a point here! I have to go now. Please don’t fight anyone while I’m away.

You tucked your phone in your pocket before picking up the tray with the coffee mug. As you walked back to your office, you saw through the glass that Mr. Barnes had finally put down his phone and if it wasn’t for the satisfied smile on his lips, you would be relieved. The buzzing in your pocket reminded you how you felt a few seconds ago and you focuses on that. On Eric.

Walking past your desk, you paused and picked a couple cookies to place them on the tray before walking towards your boss’ office. You knocked on the glass door that was already opened and walked to the desk. You didn’t miss the way Bucky’s face lit up at your entrance and you figured he was really happy to see his coffee approaching.

“Y/N,” he sighed in relief, letting himself fall back in his chair, “you’re a true life savior, you know that?” he chuckled as you placed the tray in front of him, trying to ignore how your heart grew ever warmer to the sight of his genuine smile. He seemed oddly relaxed lately and you tried your hardest to be happy about it.

“I’ll definitely add it to my CV. Special skill: life savior.” you chuckled.

He extended his hand to take the mug and a cookie, “why? Are you planning on leaving me soon?” he asked, surprise flashing across his face. You blinked a couple times in confusion at the pronoun used until you realized he probably meant the company. Because he was the company.

“Oh, no no! Don’t worry I haven’t planned on leaving the company yet.” It wasn’t as if you had any other skills anyway. You had taken this job right after highschool because college was too expensive, hoping you’d be able to save some money for night classes. But then you starting lacking time, then Mr. Barnes father died, which means you were working even more than before. Your education plans were long forgotten.

Bucky offered you a smile that you could have considered as embarrassed if you hadn’t known him better. “Good,” he chuckled nervously, “because, as I said, life savior.” Bucky wished he could burn himself to death with his coffee but, of course the temperature was perfect for him to enjoy it right away without even hurting his tongue. God, he shouldn’t be so flustered by the warm smile you were shooting his way, he was getting over you. He had found someone.

“Anything else, Mr. Barnes?”

His eyes fell on his phone, his urge to hear you singing again pumping through his system like caffeine. Or maybe it was just caffeine. “No thank you, Y/N.” He smiled at you and you nodded, trying really hard to keep your smile on. He hadn’t corrected you when you called him Mr. Barnes.


	5. Chapter 5

If there was something you loved more than using your break to have lunch on the beach, it was using your break to have lunch on the beach with Peggy. The wedding was only two weeks away and you two needed to fix at least a few hundreds details before the big day. You knew she also lowkey used the excuse to sneak into Steve’s office while you finished a couple tasks but who cared? Picking you up for lunch was how the two of them had met in the first place, so it was like walking down memory lane.

You probably looked dumb, smiling to yourself and relishing in every single sensation the sea could bring you but you didn’t care, everything was perfect. The wind that made your lips taste salty, the warm sand in which you had dug your bare feet and Max sprawled at your side. The large stray dog seemed to be living on the beach, everybody around here knew him.

You had met Max when he walked into Mr. Barnes’ office for the first time about a year ago. The window bay had been left opened so the place could be filled by the cool breeze and soothing sound of waves crashing against the shore. Both of you were so focused in your tasks, you hadn’t noticed the dog taking a nap on the large carpet near the couch.

When you both acknowledged the dog’s presence, Max was literally laying flat on his back, his tongue hanging on the side of his mouth and his snoring reached your office outside of the room. Both you and Mr. Barnes had found the sight too funny and endearing to chase the dog away. Now there was away a bowl full on food and clear water right outside and Mr Barnes’ carpet seemed to be Max’s favorite afternoon spot for his nap.

“That dog stinks,” Peggy stated as you handed him the rest of your sandwich who immediately sat up.

“Don’t be rude now. He’s the cutest, I mean look at him,” you chuckled, pointing at the dog who was happily munching away.

Peggy snorted, “I’m trying but I can’t even differentiate his head from his butt.”

You gasped in offense, covering Max ears. “Don’t listen to her, baby. She’s cranky so her snobbish side is showing but you’re the gooddest boy there is,” you cooed, causing Max to wave his tail happily. “Yes you are,” you giggled when he barked in answer, covering Peggy’s voice.

It was your phone ringing that suddenly cut your fun and brought you back to reality. It was the end of your break, duty called. Peggy and you gathered your stuff, checking several times you did not leave one piece of plastic behind and climbed back the wooden path that would bring you back to the office, Max hot on your heels.

Brushing the sand away from your feet to put your flat sandals back on, you couldn’t help but notice Mr. Barnes’ office was still empty. Your boss wasn’t back from his lunch with Miss. Romanoff yet. You quickly looked away, focusing on Peggy and tried to ignore the too familiar clenching in your heart as you walked back to your desk.

After falling heavily in your chair, you automatically lifted several papers scattered on your desk to reach for your purple seashell and started to absently play with it as you and Peggy listed the last tasks you both had to accomplish before the weekend. Max had already made his way to his favorite nap spot in Mr. Barnes’ office.

Half sitting on your desk, Peggy glanced at your hands and a smile you knew too much crept up her lips. “Are you sure you don’t want to invite your prince charming? You know I could make an extra spot for you,” she teased, pointing at the shell with her chin.

You felt your cheeks growing warm and you had to bite your bottom lip to keep yourself from smiling. “I’m not gonna invite him to a wedding as our first date. He’s gonna think I’m desperate,” you snorted. She gave you a stern look and you smacked her thigh that was resting on your desk in answer. “I’m not!”

She sighed, “come on, darling! You two have been talking non-stop for what? Almost three months? And he’s still as much into you. Why won’t you give him a chance? And you could meet him be-”

You shushed her, suddenly sitting up straight in your chair and smacking Peggy’s thigh again for her to stand up. Behind her, Mr. Barnes and Miss. Romanoff were walking in, deep in a conversation. According to the wide smile on their faces, you could tell there were not talking about business and you wrapped both your hands around your shell.

Both of them looked at you and you forced a wide smile when the redhead’s eyes landed on you. She always seemed to keep an eye on you and, despite her being as polite and nice as ever, you couldn’t help but feel like she was assessing you. But when she saw Peggy, her entire face lit up. “Peggy, hi!”

Your best friend finally stood up, opening her arms to greet the newcomers. “Nat, Bucky, hi!” she chuckled and you felt yourself sinking in your seat. Three years of relationship with Steve so she was on a nickname basis with your bosses. Feeling like you were witnessing something that was none of your business, you turned your face to look at Max, napping the day away.

“I see we had a visitor, I was starting to think he had found another place to snor.”

The familiar voice made you sit up straighter in the chair again and you nervously chuckled at your boss that was suddenly right next to you. “Yeah, me too. But he was waiting for me on the beach and he followed me after my break. I guess he went on a little adventure for a couple days and now he’s back.”

His soft laughter made your hands clench around the small shell and tear your eyes away from the sleeping dog. Facing Mr. Barnes, you noticed Mr. Rogers had joined the little gathering in front of your desk. You didn’t miss the blond’s arm wrapped around Peggy’s waist and you smiled sadly.

“Y/N, is everything alright?”

Your gaze shifted to your boss’ face and noticed he was looking at you with something that appeared to be concern lingering in his eyes. You cleared your throat and nodded, “yes! Sorry, I was spacing out. Lots of organizing,” you chuckled nervously. “Do you want me to ask Max to move for your meeting with Mr. Rogers?”

“Stop calling him Mr. Rogers, it’s weird,” Peggy said, looking at you over her shoulder.

You bit your tongue not to let a snarky comment fall from your lips about how much she enjoyed calling him Mr. Rogers. “We’re at work, it’s Mr. Rogers here and you know it, soon-to-be Mrs. Rogers,” you winked at her.

Bucky chuckled and opened his mouth, this close to ask you if you were finally going to call him Bucky at the wedding before reconsidering it. He cleared his throat. “No, it’s okay. Steve and I are probably going to sit outside on the deck anyway. Let Max sleep, he’s obviously exhausted,” he smiled, unwillingly looking away from you to look at the dog.

You nodded, unable to hold back a soft chuckle when you noticed the dog moving his legs in his sleep, obviously dreaming. You released your hold around the shell, laying it on your lap before resting your hands flats on top of it. “Okay. I sent you the documents for the meeting before my break. Would you like some coffee?”

Mr. Barnes looked at you for a second, you figured he was lost into his thoughts but it was as if his eyes were zeroing on you and you felt your heart skipping a beat. But before you could ask him if everything was over, his lips curved into a soft smile. “Yes, that would be nice. Thank you Y/N.”

“Of course, Mr. Barnes,” you smiled back, trying to keep your voice as neutral as possible despite how affected you were right as this moment. He nodded and turned around to walk into his office. You looked at him scratch Max’s belly until Peggy came into the view.

She smiled sadly at you, brushing your cheek. “Darling, please contact Eric,” she sighed. Your eyes widened and you looked around to make sure nobody had heard her. “Steve’s with Bucky and Nat just left after wishing you a good afternoon. And you didn’t even notice her. Please consider meeting him, even just once.”

You wanted you snort, yes you noticed Miss. Romanoff. You even noticed her a little too much to your liking. You sighed heavily and slumped your shoulders before lifting your hands from your lap. A soft smile tugged at your lips at the sight of the shell that immediately made you think of Eric. Sweet Eric who actually saw you and liked you for who you were, not because you brought him coffee.

“Not now, I don’t have the time right now but I’ll consider it, I promise.”

“After the wedding?” she asked, hopeful.

“I’ll consider it.”

After hugging her goodbye, you took a second to look at your phone and noticed you had received a couple messages from Eric. He was apologizing for being busy during his break but he promised you to be back at the end of the day, you still had to discuss about the last episode of that show you had recommended him.

You chuckled softly, quickly answering him back that you couldn’t wait for him to be back and listen to his theories before you made your way to the break room. You prepped three cups of coffee and, after placing yours on your desk, you crossed Mr. Barnes’ office towards the deck.

You were about to walk outside when Steve’s voice made your heart stop in your chest and your blood turn cold. “You’re in love?” You didn’t have to see him to know the blond was smiling.

Mr. Barnes’ chuckle followed by a deep sigh made your breathing hitch. “I don’t know man, she’s just,” he chuckled again, “she’s amazing okay? She’s smart and funny. So witty she constantly keeps me on my toes. But not in a sadistic way, you know?” There was another pause. Or maybe you simply couldn’t hear him anymore over the sound of your pounding heart.

“She’s always on my mind, Steve. She drive me insane-”

You took a couple steps back to walk further into the office and tried to steady your breathing. “Come on, come on, come on,” you muttered to yourself, willing the tears pooling in your eyes back. Pacing in the office while making sure you didn’t spill coffee on the floor, you took a couple deep breaths and slightly jumped in surprise when you felt something soft nudging at your legs.

You looked down to see Max sitting in front of you. “Hey buddy,” you chuckled, your voice a little shaky when he lifted one of his front paws for you. You squatted down so he could rest his paw on your knee and you kissed the top of his head. “Thank you,” you mumbled against his salty fur. The dog nudged at your neck and you giggled softly when you felt his cold and wet nose against your skin.

It was stupid and you knew it. Mr. Barnes was clearly out if your league. He needed someone strong, someone confident. You didn’t have to think much, you knew he was talking about Miss. Romanoff. The bond connecting these two was too obvious and couldn’t be ignored. It was time for you to move on and you knew it.

You stood back up and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the hammering in your chest. “I can do it, right?” As an answer, Max waved his tail happily before trotting towards the window bay. You smiled at his antics and, after lifted your chin up, walked out.

Max was resting his head on Mr. Barnes’ lap when you arrived, relishing in the delicious ear scratches your boss was providing him and you couldn’t help but call the dog a traitor in your head. “Sorry, there was a line at the coffee maker,” you chuckled, convincingly enough.

The sun was shining bright and reflecting in the large window, which allowed you to avoid looking at any of them. But you did notice from the corner of your eyes that Mr. Barnes had undid his tie and rolled up his sleeves and, if it usually never fail to make you swoon. Today you felt indifferent, almost numb.

They both thanked you at the same time and you offered them a polite smile, squinting your eyes and quickly looking in the opposite direction, towards the sea. “Steve, Mr. Barnes,” you said politely, walking back inside before you could see the confused look on their faces.


	6. Chapter 6

Hectic, that was how you could describe the past couple weeks. And, to be perfectly honest, you were quite happy about it. You had had the past week off work to be able to fully focus on Peggy’s wedding, suddenly not cursing her so much anymore about having her entire family living in Europe. Anything not to be at work right now. Although your professional conscience didn’t keep you from checking your emails and adjusting Mr. Barnes schedule from afar, but at least you didn’t have to see him. At least not until today.

WhiteWolf17: I bet you look amazing today. Well, I bet you look amazing everyday, but especially today.

You chuckled at your phone, allowing yourself a short break while Peggy’s mom was helping her into her dress. You looked at your own gown, the long shimmery emerald dress was certainly not something you would have ever thought of, but the bride knew better, as usual. The color was surprisingly flattering for your skin tone and the mermaid shape did wonders highlighting your figure in the best way. It had been a long time since you had felt so good.

WannabeMermaid: Smooth talker ;)

WannabeMermaid: But, fun fact: I’m wearing a mermaid dress so I’m thinking about changing my username to AcutalMermaid!

WhiteWolf17: I have no idea what that means but I’m not trying to be smooth or anything, I’m sure you look perfect, doll.

You felt your face growing warm and a wide smile tugging at your lips. Eric had been very patient with you in the past couple weeks. The night after you overheard the conversation at the office, you had told him you needed a little time to think about the entire situation and he figured out something had happened with your boss. He didn’t make fun of you when you explained he had found someone and it was harder than expected to accept it.

WhiteWolf17: I’ll say it again, the guy’s a moron not to see what’s right in front of him. I understand your situation more than you think.

WannabeMermaid: Are you crushing on your boss too?

WhiteWolf17: Not exactly… But I’ve been head over heels for years with this girl that’s too good for me. Or at least I’m not good enough, she deserves better and people made it pretty clear.

WanabeMermaid: What? Did she tell you that?

WhiteWolf17: Oh no, she doesn’t know it.

WannabeMermaid: Then who told you that?

WhiteWolf17: Wait… are you trying to change the subject so we don’t talk about your problems?

WanabeMermaid: Maybe? It worked though!

WhiteWolf17: But not good enough! Nice try tho, doll ;)

WannabeMermaid: Doll, huh?

WhiteWolf17: Yeah… I hope it’s alright?

WannabeMermaid: I like it! :)

If the conversation had been more and more scarce due to both your schedules, he had been surprisingly busy this past week as well, you had noticed you two had grown a little more flirty. Without seeing Mr. Barnes everyday and knowing that he had someone in his life, it somehow felt like a weight had been lifted up your chest and allowed you to focus more on Eric.

He had even teased you about you not being able to live without him and you did not even contradicted him. It was true enough, you said you would take some distance, yet you never really stopped texting him. When he asked you about the possibility of meeting him once you would both have clearer schedules, you didn’t brush him off. You were moving on.

You smiled dreamily at your phone, almost oblivious to the mess around you in the dressing room until Peggy called for your attention.

WannabeMermaid: I gotta go, duty calls. Have fun at your friend’s wedding and please don’t hook up with any bridesmaid, it’s cliché and trashy.

Of course you hadn’t even been surprised to learn that he was also on wedding’s duty this weekend. You were right in the middle of the wedding season and you somehow always found each other busy or free at the same time, so much so sometimes it almost felt like it was fate.

WhiteWolf17: You know you can say you’ll be jealous if I hook up with anyone else other than you, doll ;)

WannabeMermaid: Can’t speak, just traded my voice for legs! Byyyyye!

When Peggy whined your name, you finally let go of your phone and rushed to her side to help her and her mom with the corset lacing. Your goofy grin didn’t go unnoticed by your best friend.

“You know, one word from you and I can squeeze your Eric at our table,” she teased you through the mirror. She huffed when you purposely pulled a little too harshly on the ribbon.

You giggled softly, “he’s busy anyway today. Wedding duty too.”

She quirked her brow, “oh? So it means you considered inviting him?”

“Maybe,” you shrugged, offering her a bashful smile. Peggy sighed in relief, which was close to a miracle according to how tight her corset was. “Why the relief? Afraid I’d end up alone with a thousand cats?”

“As if I would have let it happen.”

You tied the ribbon and smoothed her dress down, asking her to turn around. When she did, you couldn’t help but place your hand over your mouth to hide your quivering lips as your eyes automatically filled up with tears. Everybody in the room was in complete awe and she had to wave a dismissing hand in your general direction to keep herself from crying as well.

“Alright guys, enough of this nonsense,” she sniffed, causing you, her mom and her friends to chuckle lightly before she pulled you all close for a tight group hug. “I’m so happy for you,” you whispered in her ear and she kissed your cheek.

“Thank you my darling, for everything.”

You sniffed back your tears and composed yourself the best you could, it was time to walk down the aisle. You walked outside of the beach house that had been rented for the weekend. Your bare feet immediately met the warm sand and you smile. Steve and Peggy would definitively have the perfect wedding. A beach wedding at sunset.

After asking Peggy’s father to follow you for him to walk his daughter down the aisle, you gave Peggy’s little cue for her to open the parade, throwing roses petals on her way to trace the path down the altar. A collective “aw” coming from the assistance made you chuckle softly and you gave all the bridesmaids their bouquets before they slowly started making their way in perfect harmony until you were the last one left. After giving Peggy one last smile, it was your turn.

Your eyes immediately landed on Steve, the poor guy was practically bouncing on his bare feet, dying to see the love of his life finally join him for a forever together. You offered him a taunting smile, having teased him a thousand times about how dumb he would look the second he would see Peggy in her dress, and you could almost hear him chuckle from where you were.

Right next to him, in a glorious cream-colored linen suit was Mr. Barnes. You didn’t know if it was because of the ocean behind him, the soft tan warming his skin or because you hadn’t seen him in a week, but his eyes somehow looked more blue and even more intense than usual. You noticed the smile on his lips, he was smiling at you. The same smile you saw on his lips every morning or each time you came into his office. That smile that used to make your stomach flip and your heart beat out of your chest. But when you saw Miss Romanoff next to him, wearing a glorious purple dress, you realized your heart was beating as normally as it was before. No more uneven heartbeat.

You sighed in relief to yourself and smiled at the two of them, they did form a picture perfect couple. Your eyes shifted on the spot waiting for you on the bride side of the arch delicately ornamented with fairy lights and shells, missing Natasha leaning to whisper into Bucky’s ear. “I’m not sure Ariel would love it so much that you keep smiling to Y/N like a fool in love.”

Bucky chuckled, feeling a blush creeping to his cheeks to the mention of the two girls fighting for dominance in his heart. As an answer, he nudged her, “I know I shouldn’t have let Steve choose you as a best man too.”

“I never saw you stop me from doing anything before, Barnes.”

Their laughters were cut short by the traditional bridal entrance music and everybody harmoniously standing up to look at Peggy, her father and mother on each side of her. Even through her veil, you could make out your friend’s teary eyes and you felt your own eyes filling up with tears at the genuine happiness radiating off everybody’s face. A sniffing sound made you look on your left and you noticed Steve quickly wiping a tear away.

You chuckled softly, biting your bottom lip to will your own tears back when your eyes automatically shifted to Mr. Barnes. You thought he was looking at Steve whose eyes were glued to Peggy slowly walking down the aisle. But when his lips curved into that smile you had seen too much, you suddenly realized it was you he was looking at. You quickly blinked you tears away, offering him a shy smile before focusing on Peggy again.

Your friend’s face was shining brighter than the sun setting low behind the horizon. You tried not to let your mind wander too much on whatever just happened, on the gazes you had exchanges with your boss when your were walking down the aisle or when he was supposed to look at the bride or even his best friend. You tried to reason yourself, he hadn’t seen you in over a week, work was probably a mess that was it, nothing more.

“Less drinking, more eating, Mrs. Rogers,” you scolded Peggy, snatching her glass of champagne from her and pointing at her untouched plate. She would have pouted if the alcohol buzz wasn’t already pumping in her veins and she giggled instead.

“Mrs. Rogers,” she grinned, looking at Steve. The blond, whose hair was a total mess already, smiled goofily at his wife, slowly leaning closer to her face.

He hummed, “that is you, Mrs. Rogers.” He finished his sentence by softly pressing his lips against hers, not without looking at her as if she was the entire universe first.

You would have loved to pretend to gag and call them disgusting but they were just so happy, you simply smile impossibly wide, your heart suddenly clenching in your chest. A question lingering in your mind: will this ever be yours? The invisible hold around your heart tightened. You had wasted so much time, chasing after a fantasy.

Without directly looking at Mr. Barnes across from you, you could see him deep in a conversation with Nat, both of them looking at something on his phone. They were impossibly close and you could imagine his eyes were crinkling from smiling too wide. You quickly took a sip of water of water, trying to swallow the lump that seemed to have grown in your throat when you heard him laughing.

Your eyes fell to your own phone and you suddenly felt terribly alone in this crowd, surrounded by people you had known forever and who somehow didn’t feel like they were part of your world. Your mind was drifting when you noticed your screen lighting up. You had a message and the smile that tug at your lips was so wide it was almost painful.

WhiteWolf17: Please tell me you’re missing me, doll. Or it might be weird for me.

You giggled softly at your phone, quickly placing your hand over your lips to hide your goofy grin and quickly looked around but Steve and Peggy were eating each other with their eyes and Mr. Barnes and Miss Romanoff were still focused on his phone. Your heart was pounding in excitement in your chest and it was when you knew. You took a deep breath, trying to stop your hands from shaking.

WannabeMermaid: Actually, yes I kinda am. And I was wondering if you were free at some point next week? If you still want us to go out, of course.

You stared at your screen for an awful long time, your thumb hovering over the “send” button. You had nothing to lose, right? You were literally sitting alone at a table full of couples, it cost nothing to at least try. You poundered for a few more minutes before finally sending the message. An excited squeal bursted out across from you, suddenly breaking your little nervous bubble but before you could look where it was coming from, Peggy placed her hand on your forearm.

Her brows were furrowed in deep worry, making your blood turn cold in your veins. Before you could even ask what was going on, she spoke.

“Darling, the singer’s car broke. She was supposed to sing for Steve’s and I’s first dance!”


	7. Chapter 7

From as far as he could remember, Bucky had always been happy, loved and surrounded. He had had the chance of being born in a very wealthy family that cared for him and his sisters. The Barnes parents had excelled in taking interest in their children lives without interfering, allowing them to be as normal as possible while giving them decent values. Never in his life had the Barnes used their money or titles to belittle someone, even less their employees.

As education had always been put forwards it still gave the Barnes children the possibility to choose a topic they desired. Business had been quite an evidence for Bucky, loving the way his father’s eyes used to light up everytime he mentioned his company, he wanted to carry on his legacy. Drawing was more of a hobby, something he kept on the side, just for him. It wasn’t for the public eye, not his family, not his numerous girlfriends, it was for him and only him.

Yes, Bucky had always been happy, loved and surrounded, carefully choosing the people working with him to keep a somewhat healthy balance. So, after his father had passed, it was a sheer evidence that you would keep your spot in the company. You who had always been here for his parents and for him, discreetly pulling strings to make sure they did not overwork themselves, who were always one step ahead of everything, sometimes even suggesting brilliant ideas that helped keep the company afloat without ever accepting any augmentation.

But the main reason Bucky had never even considered having you replaced was probably because he had been madly head over heel in love with you since the first day he saw you behind that desk.

You had been there for a few days, replacing the sour lady that always shot him dirty glances every time he came by. Bucky could still remember you frowning at your computer, trying to make sense of the electronic calendar and email box, so deeply focused you hadn’t even heard him walking in. He could still remember how that moment had allowed him to take a good look at your profile, his lips curling up higher and higher with every new inch of skin he discovered.

There was something incredibly authentic and soft about you that clashed with everything and everyone he had ever known. His need to get to talk to you fueling his already full ego, he cleared his throat, making you almost jump on your seat.

“Hi,” he offered you his cheekiest grin, the kind that tend to make the girls giggle and go red in the face.

You blinked a couple time, as if trying to understand you needed to speak now. “Oh- hi! Sorry! I think this thing,” you pointed at the computer, “is after my sanity! Hello, hi, I’m N/Y, what can I do for you?” you asked, obviously agitated if not stressed. Apparently so agitated you hadn’t even reacted to his attempt to charm you.

He tried not to let your eyes startling him and he placed his hands on your desk before leaning on it. You automatically straightened your back, slightly rolling your chair back. “Y/N,” he said, unable to keep the satisfied smile tugging at his lips when he tasted your name on his tongue. “It’s very nice to meet you, I’m Bucky.”

You frowned, obviously trying to suppress a smile, “Bucky?”

He nodded, “yeah, Bucky.” His confidence slowly seeping through your own skin and traveling in your system, causing you to relax a little.

“Okay, Bucky,” you accentuated his name, the soft chuckle that ran past your lips causing a shiver to crawl up his spine as you sat back in your chair, “what can I do for you? Do you have an appointment?” Your smile grew more teasing, obviously not indifferent and causing his heart to bubble in his chest.

Bucky couldn’t recall the last time he felt such exhilaration when talking to a girl. “Actually, yes, Y/N, I-”

“James.”

The new voice made your blood turn cold in your veins and you both stood up straight as you nervously gathered your hands in front of your, fidgeting with your fingers.Standing in the doorway of his office, his long white beard and hair clashing with his dark suit, Georges Barnes’ piercing eyes were staring at the visitor. 

“Mr. Barnes,” you cleared your throat, trying to compose yourself in front of your boss who, no matter how nice he was, looked so impressive he made you feel as if you were a little girl.

“Dad, hi!” Bucky’s amused tone was not enough to allow his father to break into a smile. A quick glance in your direction allowed Bucky to see your brow raise very briefly before you composed yourself again.

“Y/N, I see you have met my son.”

It took everything in you not to let your panic show in front of Mr. Barnes for having been caught somehow flirting (?) with his son after barely a week in the company. Way to make a good impression, girl! You cleared your throat and nodded, “yes, I have. It’s very nice to meet you Bu- Mr. Barnes.”

“You can call me Bucky, doll,” he winked your way and your eyes flew to your boss’s impassible face, desperately trying to ignore how your eyes were craving to meet Bucky’s again.

“Y/N, would you be kind enough to make us some coffee, please? I think my son and I need to talk.” Despite Mr. Barnes sever gaze on Bucky, his tone when he talked to you was calm and kind.

You nodded, “of course, Mr. Barnes.” And without another gaze at the brunet, you quickly made a beeline towards the kitchen.

Bucky never stopped looking at you, but his eyes were not roaming your form like they always did with the girls he was into. And god knows he had material here. But no, he kept looking at the back of your head, hoping for you to turn around, hoping for an eye contact and the bashful smile you gave him earlier.

You were barely out of sight that George guided his son towards his office and made him sit down across from him. Bucky opened his mouth but is father stopped him with only one hand gesture

“James. There won’t be any of this,” George stated.

Bucky frowned in confusion, already knowing there wouldn’t be much discussion because his father might be patient and kind, he could also be strict and impassible when it come to his son and his lifestyle. “Any of what?”

“This,” he gestured between his son and your desk outside, “Y/N is not one of your stupid girls who are after your name and my money are we clear?”

Bucky scoffed, unable to believe his own ears He hadn’t even tried to flirt with her. Well, yes of course he had tried but it wasn’t like that. “Dad, I-”

“James, no. she is a smart and nice girl. She’s hard working and she deserves better than to be treated like you treat your girlfriend. She deserves better. So you’re going to treat her with the respect your mother and I taught you, are we clear?”

Bucky could feel his blood rushing to his cheeks in embarrassment and anger. He chew at the inside of his cheek, infuriated that his father could think so poorly of him. Yes, his first instinct had been to be a little cheeky with you, like it was with all the girls around him, but he hadn’t tried anything. Well, to be perfectly candid, he hadn’t had the time to try anything, his father had jump at his throat before he could.

But again, it wasn’t the same. You and him had barely spent a couple minutes together but he knew you were different. You radiated trustworthiness and reliability better than anyone he had ever met before.

“Son, are we clear?” His father sentence was shortly followed with a soft knock on the glass door and your heels clicking on the wooden floor. After apologizing for interrupting them, you placed a tray on the desk with two cups of coffee, cream and sugar.

Bucky’s eyes had been glued to you again, hanging each one of your movements that were smooth like the swelling of the sea. “I didn’t know how you liked your coffee so I brought everything so you could arrange it.” Your soft voice caught Bucky off-guard and his eyes flew from your hands to your curious eyes.

He cleared his throat, briefly startled by your kindness and solicitude. “Black is alright, thank you Y/N.” You offered him that bashful smile of yours again, causing a genuine smile to tug at his own lips before you respectfully nodded at his father and made your way out of the office, closing the door behind you. If it wasn’t for his father cold glare, he would have followed you with his eyes.

After a few seconds of holding his glare, almost challengingly, Bucky reasoned himself. His father was right, he couldn’t treat you the way he treated other girls, you did deserve better than the basic fuckboy that he was.

“Fine,” he sighed, resigned.

George’s face almost instantly relaxed and he offered his son a kind smile, “good. James, soon enough you will have to grow up, son. If you want to be able to be the head of this company, you will have to stop behaving like a child.”

If only Bucky had listened to his father, he wouldn’t have lost an arm. The only thing he had listened that day was that you deserved better than him. And George was right, you deserved better than a spoiled kid who wanted to party all the time. Which was why he made sure to always come to the office with his current conquest until his tragic accident. He hoped that having a girl with him would distract him from your beautiful smile but he was oh so wrong.

Bucky simply couldn’t help it but talk to you, always asking you how you were and what were the gossips around. You were so easy to talk to, he once spent an entire hour sitting on your desk while you worked, waiting for his father to be done with his meeting. It was only when his phone buzzed that he had realized that his current “girlfriend” was waiting for him in his car.

And now, you still deserved better. You deserved more than a one-armed man who overworked himself, which was why, even if it was torture to spend his days around you without being able to do anything about it, he treated you with the respect you deserved. And you repaid him good with your professionalism and perpetual kindness.

But despite the years and perpetual auto-reminders, Bucky had you under his skin and, the only way he had found to get over you was to start looking for someone else. And after months of failure, months of believing he would never find someone as good as you, Ariel had barged into his life, wiping everything blank on the way like a tsunami. She was always on his mind, knowing she was only one text away, always up for bantering, serious or silly conversations.

The only moment she was not on his mind was when you were smiling at him. Your smile had always had this thrilling yet soothing effect on him, the kind of effect that had his heart feeling warm and bubbly in his chest. But lately you had been smiling less and less, maybe it was because his mind was so occupied with Ariel but he found you more professional, less friendly. You had always put this barrier between the two of you, for which he was grateful because it allowed him to remain professional as well, but the he felt like you were disappearing behind this wall. And he tried not to think too much of it, every time his mind wandered to you, he automaticalled reached for his phone, seeking comfort with Ariel and slowly feeling himself falling a little more with her each time.

“Send it,” Nat nudged him, sipping on her champagne, her eternal teasing smirk plaster on her perfectly red painted lips. Bucky had been harping on about Ariel ever since you had walked down the aisle, sporting that adorable smile and breathtaking dress. Tearing his eyes from you to look at the ceremony had proven to be more difficult than anticipated.

“It’s tacky,” he sighed, staring at his screen, oblivious to anything else happening around the table.

Nat snorted, “you didn’t seem to mind about being tacky when you hit on me in high school,” she teased, causing him to laugh heartily.

“I was an ass in high school!”

“I’ll drink to that and,” she reached for his phone and pressed send before he could even understand what was happening, “that too!”

Bucky choked a sound that was supposed to be his friend’s name but it was more like an seal groaning in agony. “What the fuck?!” he hissed under her melodious laughter.

“You’ll thank me later. And honestly, it was a favor for myself because there’s not enough champagne in the world that’ll make your whining tolerable.”

Bucky gasped, ready to retaliate when his phone lit up again with Ariel’s name under the too familiar dating app notification and another inhuman sound ran past his lips when he read the text. She wanted to meet him, she was asking him out.

“Finally,” Nat sighed in relief, already bracing herself for her friend’s upcoming rant about what should he tell her when she noticed half the guests were missing from around the table, including the groom and bride. She was about to ask Bucky where they were when the spotlight lit up the small dance floor where Steve and Peggy were about to start dancing.

Bucky was fumbling, typing on his phone before erasing everything at once, cursing under his breath. His heart was pounding painfully hard in his chest, he couldn’t fuck it up. Not now. He had to see her, he had to show her he was better that this boss of hers, he had to show her that what they shared this week, the flirting, the talking, this was everything he wanted and more. He wanted to show her that he actually saw her. He wanted to see her smile, to hear her laugh, talk, sing.

“How can I tell you what is in my heart?”

His heart leaped out of his throat. That voice. Was he turning so crazy that he started hearing her voice now? He immediately looked up from his phone, eyes scanning the crowd of heads that were all looking towards the wooden dance floor he had helped Steve fixing the night before. His eyes fell to his friend and his new wife, standing there in each other’s arm, smiling lovingly at each other.

“How can I measure each and every part?”

Her voice again, he felt a familiar shiver running up his spine, the kind of shiver only one voice could be the source of. His eyes flew to the side of the dancefloor where the musicians were standing, in dire hope to understand who that voice could belong. A part of him hoping it was hers but she was busy. She was at her friend’s wedding.

“How can I tell you how much I love you?”

That was when his eyes landed on the person holding the mic and his heart stopped. 

“How can I measure just how much I do?”

It was you.


	8. Chapter 8

How many times a day do I think of you?

How many roses are sprinkled with dew?

You wished you could pretend not knowing why and how you had ended up with a mic between your hands, making an idiot of yourself in front of half your coworkers and your friends’ entire families. But as your eyes remained on the happy couple, slowly swaying and gazing lovingly at each other, you knew you had made the correct choice by placing your hand over Peggy’s and promising her she would have her perfect slow.

How far would I travel

To be where you are?

How far is the journey

From here to a star?

The song choice made by Peggy was so accurate you had difficulties to fight your smile as the words fell from your lips. Each verse made your heart beat faster in your chest, the anticipation, the thrill, the evidence. Today you had finally stopped hiding behind your fears and false hopes. You finally took your life into your own hands and you asked him out.

And if I ever lost you, how much would I cry?

How deep is the ocean?

How high is the sky?

With the soft bubbling in your chest, you felt lighter than the ocean breeze. Singing away for your friends, you imagined that Eric could somehow hear you, you imagined that he would understand you were not only singing for Peggy and Steve, but you were also singing for you and him.

By the end of the song, your cheeks were hurting from smiling so much and you were happy that your best friend’s first dance was a valid excuse to have tears pearling at the corner of your eyes. As Steve dipped Peggy, placing his lips on hers to muffle her heartfelt laughters, you placed the mic down, nodding at Sam who gave you a double thumbs up before taking the hand and started the playlist he had managed to put together in an almost scary short amount of time.

With wobbly legs, you chuckled nervously as people cheered at both the dance and your performance before making your way towards your friends. People had already started to stand up, joining the dance floor to Sam’s greatest pleasure. Peggy had ran so fast in your arms, you almost lost your balance before she hugged you tight, repeatedly kissing your warm cheeks and thanking you over and over.

“I can’t believe you did this!” She gasped, her face radiating with gratitude.

“I can’t believe I did this either!” you giggled, excitement still pumping through your system as Peggy allowed to pull away from you only for Steve hug you and thank you. Once he let go of you, you waved a dismissing hand in their direction, “consider this as my bonus wedding present. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need a drink!”

Before Peggy could even protest, Steve dragged her away, dancing ridiculously to distract her from you. You chuckled affectionately, your heart at peace that the stress of the wedding was over and now it was only the fun part. Your eyes flew to the table where your phone was waiting for you and your heart skipped a beat as you rushed to see if Eric had answered you.

You barely noticed that the table was empty, all the guests having deserted it. All you wanted to see was the yext. Feverishly, you pressed the home button of your phone and you couldn’t fight the way your shoulders dropped. No message. Maybe he was just busy. Afterall, he was at a wedding too, his best friend’s wedding even! Of course he was busy, but hopefully not busy with a bridesmaid.

Sighing deeply, you slouched on your chair, trying to lower your adrenaline level. Still staring at your screen, contemplating whether or not sending him a teasing text about how rude he was to hope you were missing him before he disappeared, you barely noticed the person sitting right next to you. You sighed again, taking a few sips of water, hoping it would calm your nerves.

“I’m free tomorrow night, or any night you prefer.”

The smooth voice you knew too well brought you out of your thoughts, causing your heart to leap in your throat in the process as your face snapped in his direction.

“Mr. Barnes?” your voice came out squeaky and breathless from the surprise to have him sitting so close to you, sporting that smile combined with the incomprehension.

He chuckled softly, leaning to pour more water in your glass, “sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He handed you the drink and you gladly drank again, the idea to finally put some order in your thought suddenly flying out of the window. “Are you okay?” he inquired.

You nodded and another soft smile tugged at his lips again, making you remember what he told you when he startled you. You took a deep breath, “what did you mean?” 

You swore his eyes sparkled with mischief. “May I have this dance?” he asked, smoothly dodging the question and you only just noticed another slow had started. Your eyes must have widened to the point they were practically bulging out of your skull because he offered you the same smile he usually did after you scolded him if he skipped a meal. “Come on, I think you and I need to talk.” slightly pleading but never insisting, he simply extended his hand for you to take.

Your eyes went from his blue orbs to his hand and your features softened, you were almost friends, right? It wasn’t wrong to have one dance with your boss after your respective best friends got married. So, without a word, you gently nodded before sliding your hand in his. You tried to ignore the shiver that crept up your arm when your skin came in contact with his as you carefully avoid any eye contact, knowing you would automatically melt if you met his gaze.

As you walked hand in hand towards the dancefloor, you silently blessed Peggy for having a barefeet wedding, the sand would have made it impossible to walk in heels. The sand and Mr. Barnes’ fingers wrapped around yours for that matter. You were almost relieved to feel the warm wood beneath your feet, but the feeling was quickly eclipsed by his metal arm sliding on your back and gently pulling you against him, allowing you to take the distance you desired.

You fought your urge to melt against him, but the second his cologne tickled your nostrils, you felt it enveloping your brain in a delicious mist and you pressed your body to his as much as decency allowed it. Your chest brushing his, you still avoided looking at him. The simple feeling of his breath fanning over your burning cheek was enough to have you heart skyrocket in your chest, how could you face him?

Bucky spoke your name, his voice barely audible over the music that allowed you to gently sway to the rhythm of the waves crashing at the shore. Ever so slowly, you lifted your gaze in his direction, his piercing eyes immediately causing your breath to get caught in your throat.

“Can I say something?” he asked, his lips curling into that mischievous and confident smile you hadn’t seen since before the accident. Unable to speak, you nodded, fighting your will to cling onto the fabric of his jacket that was brushing your palm.

“I was right,” he stated as a matter of factly.

You frowned, confusion crossing your features, “I’m sorry, what?” you chuckled nervously, making his smile growing wider. His instinct begged him to lean closer so he could whisper in your ear but he didn’t want to stop looking at you.

“I was right. You look amazing everyday but especially today. Really mermaid material,” he grinned, hoping you wouldn’t hear the pounding in his chest, even though now it did not matter much if you realized how bad he had it for you. You already knew everything about him. Or at least about his alter ego.

Your blood turned cold in your veins and it felt as if your heart and brain had suddenly stopped working. Surprise and confusion caused your body to go stiff and you stopped dancing. Your vivid reaction made Bucky’s face slowly dropped.

You suddenly pulled your hand away from him, your arms falling on each side of you, wondering if his previous smile was only to mock you. Had he seen some of the conversations? Did Peter snitched you? Or even worse, Peggy? Your eyes flew to your friend who was dancing with her father, laughing as she lovingly gazed at Steve on the side, dancing with her niece Sharon. You felt your nose and eyes starting to sting with angry tears and humiliation creeping up your spine.

Bucky couldn’t help but tighten his hold around you, the disappointment on your face causing his heart to fall on the ground and his chest to start to heave. You had said numerous times you had a crush on him, why the disappointment? “Y/N” his uncertain voice was cut short by your sharp question.

“Who told you?” your muscles were tensed, heart now angrily pounding against your ribcage, in your ears, in the back of your head. He opened his mouth to talk but you spoke again first. “Was it Steve? Did Peggy told him and you have both been fun of me? Was it Peter?” your breathing was labored as you tried to pull away from you while avoiding making a scene, his arm suddenly too oppressing on the small of your back, his eyes too piercing, his perfume too dizzying.

Bucky kept opening and closing his mouth, trying to make sense of what you were saying while ignoring the sharp, wrenching pain in his heart. The fear to disappoint you was suddenly overshadowed by his panic to see you thinking you had been the subject of any mockery coming from him when he had always respected you more than anyone, even before knowing the truth. “Y/N, I-”

“I need some air,” your trembling voice breaking his heart, you suddenly pulled away from him. He tried to catch you but you were already making a beeline to shadow of the beach, where the party lights did not reach. Bucky stood there for a second, his eyes scanning the area for any divine sign on what to do, his brain clouded and breathing heavy. His eyes connected with Nat’s who was looking at him, her feature painting nothing but panic and she gestured for him to run for you.

Nodding eagerly, Bucky left the dancefloor running, taking the same direction you did, suddenly more fearing for your safety than rejection. He could understand you rejecting him if he knew you safe. But alone, in the dark, anything could happen. So he swallowed back his pride and ignored the uncomfortable stinging in his chest.

After a few frenetic minutes, he saw your shadow pacing in front of a line of beach cabanas, hugging yourself as you tried to gain a normal breathing again.

“It was me!” Bucky blurted out before he even reached you, causing you to freeze . You slowly turned around to face him. The moonlight reflecting on the emerald sequins of your dress and the deep blue sea, your forme sparkled in the darkness. But Bucky could only make out your sad features and his urge to soothe your mind overpowered his fear to lose you.

“Y/N, I’m Eric, Eric is me,” he said, taking a step in your direction and when you didn’t move away from him, he walked closer. Slowly. One step at a time. “I know it sounds insane, believe me, I’m the first one having difficulties to believe it but it’s me.” He was breathless, yet he couldn’t help but smile when he realized of all the months you had shared running after each other without knowing you were right in front of the other.

Being closer to you, he could see you blinking several times, your brows still furrowed in deep confusion. An underlying sadness lingering on your features. Or maybe was it anger? “If that’s true, for how long have you known?”

“About ten minutes. When I heard you singing. At first I thought I was going crazy, you just asked me out, I thought I was having some kind of hallucination. I can’t tell you how many times I thought I was hearing your voice around the office,” he chuckled, emotions causing his throat to tightened so much he had to clear it.

“You have been stuck in my head days and nights since I stumbled upon your profile, it’s you I have been looking for.” His hands twitched to cup your face but he knew he couldn’t.

Bucky’s voice was calm but there was an underlying plea, an urge to convince you. He was now standing so close you could feel his body heat radiating off in the cold breeze. “But it doesn’t make sense,” you said, not knowing if you were talking to yourself or to him.

“It doesn’t?” he asked, a soft smile tugging at his lips when he realized you were not running away, “or does it explain that you and I have been on the same schedule every single day? That you and I were both at our best friend’s wedding on the exact same day.”

You opened your mouth to protest but he was right, this did explain most of your doubts. Yet there was still a discomfort tugging at your heart. “But what about that girl you said that was too good for you? That people told you deserved better? And what about Nat? I heard you saying you loved her two weeks ago on the deck.” Your heart clenched in your chest to the memory of that hellish day, the day you realized there was no hope for you.

Bucky’s eyes widened when he put the last pieces of the puzzle together and a heartfelt laughter ran past his lip, the sound running free on the empty beach, echoing in the night and overpowering the faint buzz of the party in the background. You felt your breathing hitching, how dared he make fun of you now?

“If you plan on mocking me, I hope you won’t mind if I leave you to it,Mr. Barnes!” you huffed, fighting new angry tears as you walked around him. But Bucky grabbed your wrist before you could even take three steps and he pulled you flushed against his chest, his left arm across your back and the other hand soft on your cheek. You gasped at the sudden motion,your heart skipping a beat.

“It was you, Y/N. It always had and always will. You were the girl that was out of my league, Ariel was the girl I was talking about with Steve. It was you. There’s only you.” His eyes were shining like you had never seen before, warm yet piercing in the night, reflecting every single bit of feelings he had for you because now he was done listening to what other people thought.

You inhaled sharply as your lips lifted up into a hopeful smile, the possibility that he was saying the truth gently occurring to you. Bucky immediately relaxed and gently tighten his hold around you, afraid to see you sipping through his fingers like sand.

But when your eyes went wide, he felt his chest tightening. “What’s going on?” he asked as softly as he could.

You closed your eyes, unable to hold his gaze despite the darkness, “I’ve ranted to you about my crush on you for weeks, that’s so embarrassing,” you whined, letting your head fall so your forehead rested against his shoulder.

Another heartfelt laughter rumbled through his chest, directly echoing in you, causing you to whine louder. Embarrassment washed through you as your body heated up from your closeness and how endearing the ringing of his laughter was, how warm and strong he felt as he wrapped you in a comforting hold that shielded you from the cool breeze.

He gently place his index under your chin and tilted your head so you would finally face him. Despite the darkness, he knew your features by heart allowing him to see your face as if you were in broad daylight. “Let me add something. I was also wrong before. I was not stupid, I did see you. I saw you the first day we met, I saw you everyday we worked together, and I see you now, Y/N.”

You felt your heart beating in your ears from his soft touch and even softer words. “You do?” you whispered. He hummed, his eyes going from your eyes to your lips before he slowly leaned forwards, slowly enough to give you time to back away if you wanted. Oh, how he wished you didn’t.

His lips curved into a smile when he saw your own eyes fluttering shut and he suddenly gasped, pulling back. A strangled groan escaped you. “What?” you asked, desperately trying to hide the evident panic in your eyes.

“I can’t… you told me not to make out with any bridesmaid because it was trashy and cliché.” He sounded so defeated, you had to blink a few times to realize a taunting smirk tugging at his lips. You huffed and smacked his chest with your hands before gripping onto the collar of his shirt and pulling him close until your lips were almost touching.

“Technically I am the maid of honor, therefor this argument is irrelevant. So will you kiss the girl already, Mr. Barnes?” you teased, surprised by your own boldness but it was evident than you had both waited more than enough.

Bucky licked his lips in anticipation, your assertive tone mixed with the name you used sending a shiver running up his spine. “Your wish is my command, doll,” he whispered, capturing your lips fast enough to be able to taste the smile widening on your face. A deep sigh of content echoed in his chest and he couldn’t tell if it was coming from him or you but now that he was finally kissing you, he couldn’t care less.

Pulling you even closer to him, he couldn’t tell where he ended and you started. He felt one of your hand traveling up to the back of his neck as you tiptoed to kiss him even more firmly. His heart was soaring, pouding, burning, bubbling, tingling. He simply was feeling. Unable to hold back his joy, he pulled away from your lips, chuckling softly when you whimpered at his loss. But the sound was quickly replaced with your heartfelt squeal and giggle when he bent to grab you by the back of your thighs and swirl you around.

His laughters joined yours as you gripped onto his shoulder for dear life, your entire body burning in utter happiness. “You’re insane,” you chuckled breathlessly, wrapping your arms around his neck as he slowly put you back down on the cool sand, his arms tight around you.

He nodded, humming softly, “that I am, insanely in love you you, doll.”

Your heart skipped at the pure adoration radiating off his face, your eyes stinging with happy tears. “That’s definitely something I could work with, Mr. Barnes,” you whisper, knowing your voice would break if you spoke up. You gently bumped your nose against his before he tilted his face to seal your lips again. And for the first time in your life, you didn’t wish you were a mermaid. Because you had found you prince charming on land. You will finally have your happy ending.


	9. Epilogue

Groaning slightly, you scrunched your nose and lifted the heavy comforter above your head to protect your eyes from the bright light filtering through the thin cream-colored linen curtains. Rolling over in the process, you muffled a sleepy chuckle when you were met with the too familiar warm and hairy form occupying a too large spot in the bed.

“Max, whatcha doin’ here, baby?” you slurred, peaking your head out of the comforter to see the dog occupying the empty spot next to you. He opened an eye and immediately lifted his head when he noticed you were finally up.

Happily wiggling his tail, the dog crawled closer to you, sniffing your face and making you giggle sleepily. You wrapped your arm around him, kissing his head before scratching that spot he loved so much as you looked at the bedside table. You frowned when your eyes met a little note covering the digital clock.

Propping yourself up on one arm, you picked it up and smiled when you recognized the too familiar writing.

“Don’t be mad, Sleeping Beauty. You looked too beautiful to be disturbed ;)”

You sighed, not fighting the little smile creeping at your lips before falling back on the fluffy pillow, god that bed was comfortable. Another look at the clock indicated you it was 9:06 am. You tried to be mad at Bucky for slipping out of bed so silently this morning but you both knew you needed the rest, even if you were too damn proud to admit it.

Stretching lazily, you spent an extra few minutes with Max in bed before slowly getting up. After a quick shower, you donned your favorites leggings, the ones with a hole in them but that were too damn comfortable to throw them away, and picked one of Bucky’s shirts, the red one that tended to hang loose on one of your shoulders.

Walking out of the bedroom, you called Max “Come on, buddy! It’s breakfast time.”

The dog jumped from the bed, hot on your heels and walked directly to his empty bowl. He sat down and eagerly wiggled his tail until you poured his food. You chuckled, shaking your head affectionately when he dug so fast in it, the bowl clang against the wall.

After pouring some coffee in a mug and fixing yourself a quick and easy breakfast, you walked to the living room. Slouching on the chair, you did not waste time to open the laptop on the table, ready to spend your day working/ When your eyes fell on the screen, you snorted, a goofy grin creeping up your lips. A post-it was stuck right in the middle of the dark screen, the too familiar red crab doodled on the yellow paper was offering you a double thumbs up, surrounded by little heart.

You automatically peeled it off and opened your notebook to stick it on the flyleaf with the rest of your already big doodle collection: Flounders, Scuttle, even Ariel and Eric kissing on the small boat, dorky puns such as “sea you later” that never failed to make your day a hundred times better before having to work.

It had been almost a year since Steve and Peggy’s wedding, almost a year since you and Bucky had realized you were both desperately head over heels in love with each other, almost a year since you had been inseparable, almost a year since it had finally been your turn.

As you scanned the wide, warm-colored, cosy living room, your eyes fell onto the vase filled with your favorite flowers at the center of the table, a little gift from your stupidly perfect boyfriend. “They made me think of you,” he had said the previous night when he came home, offering you that cheeky grin that never fail to make you giggle.

Deep down you knew it was more of a gift to cheer you up after a rough couple days. Bucky knew how exhausting it was for you to combine your studies in addition to your job at the company. But if you had agreed to be part of the Barnes&Co tuition fees funding program, you had refused to stop working altogether.

You and Bucky had came to an agreement to work a few days per week. But with the exams being right around the corner, the many essays you had to write and presentations for your business class, you sometimes felt a little overwhelmed under the tremendous amount of work. So today you were off work at the company, you needed to focus on your last essay and try to relax as well. Boss and boyfriend’s orders.

A soft smile tugged at your lips at the memories of the day you had casually mentioned you wished you had actually been to college. It had naturally slipped in the conversation, you couldn’t quite remember how but you did remember Bucky’s light confused frown as realization had struck him. After quickly assuring him you were not dissing your job, on the contrary, you managed to shift the conversation.

But less than two days later, you were summoned in Steve’s office for the good news, Barnes&Co was taking charge of everything. You vainly tried to decline, starting to curse yourself and Bucky. “Steve, I don’t want any spe-”

“My father had already started filling out the form for you.”

The familiar voice at the door made you turn around and you shot a curious glare at your boyfriend. He was sporting that usual grin when his eyes were on you and pulled away from the door frame to walk in the office. “When I looked up for the tuition funding files, I found one with your name on it.”

When Steve cleared his throat, you turned around and saw that he was extending a file in your direction. Carefully, you took the papers to look at the date. You felt your blood turning cold and your eyes widening in realization.

“It was the day before…” breathless, you looked up at Steve and Bucky who nodded. The brunet took the seat next to yours and gently took the file from you, place it on the desk before taking your hands in his.

“I suppose it got lost in the middle of all the paperwork after his heart attack and me taking over the head of the company, I’m sorry,” Bucky smiled apologetically at you. “And before you tell me no, I already made arrangements for your replacement, but don’t worry, kissing the boss is only on your task list, not hers,” he winked.

You chuckled heartily, only realizing now how blurry your sight had grown. “But,” you sniffed, swallowing back your tears. Both of them simply shook their head, offering you a sharp, synchronized “no,” which made you to laugh again.

If you had always fit in the company, now it felt like family. You had all managed to remain professional, you had loosen up a little around them. But when you had found that calling him “Mr. Barnes” didn’t annoy him anymore, on the contrary, you had decided to keep calling him like that. You loved how easy it was to rile him up and the childish whine and pout he offered you every time you did.

Now, here you were, seven months later, Peggy was ready to give birth to a baby boy any day now, you were almost at the end of your first college year, head of your promotion, living in a gorgeous beach house with the love of your life and the dog that had adopted you. You didn’t know quite well how life could be better than this. Despite the stress, you had never felt better. Taking a sip of coffee, you quickly texted Bucky to wish him a good day before turning off your phone and starting to work.

A few hours later, another mug was sitting next to you as well as a half-eaten toast, your pen case disemboweled and your notebook scribbled with nonesenses only you could understand. The frenetic typing sound on the keyboard filling the room and your deep focus kept you from hearing the front door opening and closing.

Bucky walked to the kitchen to put down the lunch takeovers he had picked up on the way here. He knew you by heart, except for coffee and a piece of toast you probably hadn’t eaten much today. You were the best at taking care of people but it was a whole other story when it was about taking care of yourself.

Following the sound of your fingers hitting the keyboard, Bucky made his way to the living room. And here you were, turning your back to him yet still managing to take his breath away. He stopped in the doorway, his heart immediately growing an extra size in his chest at the sight of you. There was something special in seeing you in his home. Well, your home too now.

You had both taken your time when you had started dating. A picnic on the beach, a visit at the aquarium, a boat trip, Bucky had been full of surprises to make you happy. So much that, when you were not at work, you were out together. Several nights a week, the entire weekend, there was not a day without seeing each other.

And after a few weeks, you found a basket full of your usual products in his bathroom, with a boyish smile, he had told you that, this way, you wouldn’t have to carry your stuff every time you spent the night. Your heart almost gave out when you realized that this proved everything he told you while being Eric was true, he wanted commitment. The way your face lit up had made the tiniest doubt that you were not on the exact same page completely vanish away. Especially that heartfelt laughters of yours when you had realized he even bought the lip balm he loved to task on your lips when you kissed.

Yes, everything had quickly fallen into an easy and natural routine. A few weeks later, your clothes were occupying the side of his walk in closet that had been empty until now and neither of you could remember of a time when you were not together. Probably because, in a way, you always had each other.

It was the feeling of too familiar lips being pressed to the junction of your neck and a warm hand and another cold one massaging your tight shoulders that slightly startled you. A soft smile immediately tugged at your lips as you automatically reached back to run your hand through his hair and keep his head in place, you hummed in content.

“Whatcha doing here?” you chuckled, already turning mushy under the delicious pressure he was applying on your muscles. When your eyes darted to the top right corner of your screen and you noticed it was past 1pm.

Bucky kissed a trail up the side of your face before tilting your head backward so his face was hovering above yours, “was missing you,” he mumbled, pecking your lips which caused his chin to bump against your nose several times. Cupping his cheeks, you eagerly responded to the soft kisses until you were both giggly, breathless messes.

Having some mercy for your neck, he took your hands in his and moved to lean against the table. You wanted to tease him about his dumb smile but you knew you probably sported the same one. And, honestly, you couldn’t get enough of that smile.

“How’s the essay going?” He asked, running his thumbs on the back of your hands.

“Pretty good, I think. It’s easier to work after a good night of sleep, thank you for that,” you admitted. The satisfied way his lips curled up made you roll your eyes at him. “Have you eaten?” you inquired, the question making your own stomach growl.

Bucky shook his head, chuckling at the sound, “not yet, I was actually coming home to have a little picnic on the beach with my beautiful girlfriend, wanna tag along?” he teased.

You snorted and lazily stretched your back before standing up, “so nice of you to invite me, I’d love to.” You chuckled, snaking your arms around his middle and you couldn’t help but steal another kiss from him.

He wasted no time to wrap his arms around you, sighing in content when he felt your familiar form pressed against his. “Perfect, put on your jacket, I ordered food from that place you love so much.”

Your eyes sparkled with excitement at the mention of your favorite food, “you’re a good man, James Buchanan Barnes,” you grinned.

“Only the best for my best girl. Now come on,” he playfully smacked your butt, earning an offended “Mr. Barnes!” from you.

“Chop chop!”

You stuck your tongue at him, quickly pulling away to deny him the kiss he was leaning closer for before you running to the hallway to fetch your jacket.

The early spring temperatures did not allow you to enjoy to take a dip yet but the sun was gently warming your skin and the breeze soft enough for the sand to stay in place and not ruin your lovely lunch. Once the food devoured, Bucky had moved the plaid you were sitting on to wrap it around you both as you were sitting between his legs. His arms were securing you from the cold, his face in your neck as you faced the ocean.

Tilting your head to allow him better access, you nuzzled his upper arm, your usual content smile plastered on your lips like every time you both eloped from your hectic life. The soothing sound of waves crashing on the shore was only broke here and there as you caught up on whatever occured in the past few days.

“My sister called me this morning,” he hummed, his scruff gently tickling your skin.

“Oh, is Rebecca back from Europe?” you asked, unable to hide your excitement. It had been too long since you had seen the most rebellious member of the Barnes’ clan, the one who went to Europe to study art and never came back to stay with her painter lover. They were living one day at a time thanks to their paintings, the real, free artistic life.

He nodded and you didn’t need to look at him to know he was smiling, “she’ll be there tomorrow so we’re having dinner with them at my mom’s if that’s okay with you?”

You turned your head, bumping your nose against his forehead in the process, “sorry,” you giggled, kissing his forehead. “Of course it’s okay with me! I haven’t seen her in forever and you know I love your mom too.”

Bucky’s face lit up, knowing his mother probably loved you more than she loved him, which was the opposite of a problem for him because he could never get enough of how well you got along with his entire family. “Perfect,” he beamed, kissing your nose. “And your last due date for college is next Friday, right?”

You sighed in relief, impatient to finally be done with the pressure for a few weeks. You nodded, “why?”

“Nothing,” he looked away, a too smug smirk tugging at his lips.

You squinted your eyes at him, “babe.” You warning tones made him break into a wide smile he didn’t even pretend to hide. “What are you up to?” Bucky shrugged, repeating he had nothing in mind before playfully winking at you. “Buckyyyy,” you huffed, pushing him by the shoulder so he was lying down and you struggled with the plaid to turn around and straddle his waist.

You let the laughters bubbling in your chest break free, the sound immediately catching Max’s attention and he jumped from the deck to your spot on the beach, ready to join the party. Bucky shrieked when the dog licked his face, causing you to laugh ever harder.

“Tell me your secret, Mr. Barnes, or he’ll eat your face and you won’t be so cute anymore!”

“Okay! I surrender!” He laughed, trying to avoid Max’s licking and you took the dog by the collar to pull him away from your boyfriend. Bucky was barely freed that he snaked his arm around you and swiftly flipped you both over. Your shriek made the seagulls flying away from the beach and Bucky sealed your lips to keep you somewhat quiet but you could feel him laughing.

“You smell like Max’s breath,” you giggled, scrunching your nose.

Bucky gasped, feigning offense, “and who’s fault is that?”

“Yours! For not telling me what you’re up to!” you pouted.

He shook his head affectionately at your behavior before sighing dramatically. “Well, doll, since you’ve been working so hard I thought you needed some time off. AND, since in two weeks it will be our first year anniversary, I’m taking you away. Just you and me, no phone, no work, nothing.” He grinned proudly, his heart skipping a beat when your eyes sparkled with excitement.

“What? Where?” you gasped, not remembering having seen him take even one week of vacation before.

Bucky winked, leaning closer again, “you’ll see. I just hope your passport is valid, princess.”

You automatically wrapped your arms around his neck to keep him close, the goofiest grin plastered on your lips, “you’re spoiling me, Mr Barnes,” you said softly.

He shook his head softly, eyes crinkling from smiling too wide, “I’m treating you like you deserve to be treated. I’m so proud of you.” He pressed a soft kiss on your lips. Soft yet intense, the kind of kiss that had your cheeks warming up and your heartbeat speed up. “I love you, Y/N,” he whispered, “I always have and always will.”

You bumped your nose against his, a shiver running down your spine under his loving gaze. A year together, a year that had made all the previous ones completely vanish away because now you were finally together. “Always have and always will.”

The End


End file.
